Wife's got some bizarre cooking notions/beliefs

[Andy M.]

I am sometimes amused when I see a recipe calling for unsalted butter and salt.

IMO, the use of unsalted butter has been institutionalized way beyond any actual need for it. I imagine decades of our ancestors making excellent baked goods with salted butter and never giving a thought to changing. With the advent of cooking shows, unsalted butter has become a darling of TV chefs.

 

[GotGarlic]

I am sometimes amused when I see a recipe calling for unsalted butter and salt.

IMO, the use of unsalted butter has been institutionalized way beyond any actual need for it. I imagine decades of our ancestors making excellent baked goods with salted butter and never giving a thought to changing. With the advent of cooking shows, unsalted butter has become a darling of TV chefs.

The thing is, when you use unsalted butter, you can put in however much salt you want - or leave it out. People on low-salt diets or who are sensitive to it or just don't want it can control how much is in their food.

I use unsalted butter for everything I use butter for. I prefer flaky salt on bread, vegetables, etc., anyway because I like the crunch

 

[jennyema]

I only buy unsalted butter because I can control the salt content.


But I mostly use it to cook and not bake.

 

[Andy M.]

Dietary restrictions aside, I am suggesting the amount of salt in butter isn't worth concern.

According to my calculations and which website you choose for conversions, there is about ½ teaspoon of salt in a pound of LoL butter (or ⅛ of a tsp. in a stick of butter). Hardly enough to get excited about.

 

[Zagut]

+1.

Are you the one on the left or the one on the right?

I am sometimes amused when I see a recipe calling for unsalted butter and salt.

IMO, the use of unsalted butter has been institutionalized way beyond any actual need for it. I imagine decades of our ancestors making excellent baked goods with salted butter and never giving a thought to changing. With the advent of cooking shows, unsalted butter has become a darling of TV chefs.

Well said.

I buy salted butter because it's what I want on most things I use butter on like toast.

If I bake I lower the amount of salt to compensate.

Dietary restrictions aside, I am suggesting the amount of salt in butter isn't worth concern.

According to my calculations and which website you choose for conversions, there is about ½ teaspoon of salt in a pound of LoL butter (or ⅛ of a tsp. in a stick of butter). Hardly enough to get excited about.

Awww... Come on. We all need something to get excited about.

 

[RPCookin]

For me it has nothing to do with not wanting salt - I consume quite a bit of it with no deleterious effects (my BP was measured today at 122/71 - not bad for 70 years old and a bit overweight). I simply prefer to be in control. A recipe which calls for 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 cup of butter should get exactly that unless or until I feel that it needs modification.

 

[CWS4322]

This makes sense to me:

Pantry 101: Salted butter vs. unsalted butter - Chatelaine

 

[bakechef]

I am sometimes amused when I see a recipe calling for unsalted butter and salt.

IMO, the use of unsalted butter has been institutionalized way beyond any actual need for it. I imagine decades of our ancestors making excellent baked goods with salted butter and never giving a thought to changing. With the advent of cooking shows, unsalted butter has become a darling of TV chefs.

I use unsalted butter for most baking, but if all I had was salted butter, I'd use it just the same. The only place where salted butter is a no no is in something like a swiss meringue buttercream and with its high butter ratio, salted doesn't work well.

My mom always used margarine which of course was salted and it always worked just fine.